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Sunday, 23 December 2012

Hamilton: Southern Ontario's Best Kept Secret?

Heading Southwest on
Queen Elizabeth Way, a vital superhighway that shoots out of Toronto’s West end
and skirts Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls/Fort Erie, it would be hard to miss
the greyscale stacks and old brick factories that indicate only one thing: you’re
passing Hamilton.

At its most Western
point, the lake funnels off and you cross the “Allan Skyway”, boasting the best
views of what was once the industrial capitol of Southern Ontario, but now
barely resembles a long dead era. In fact, the only real reminders of working
class heritage are the skeletal remains of the monsters and machines that once
ruled all.

Because of its short
rise and fall at the fate of a rapidly changing economy, Hamilton is now
commonly asserted as ‘Canada’s butthole’; a filthy leftover, full of poor
blue-collar remnants that were caught in a city that grew beyond its own
capacity to sustainably fill jobs and provide proper housing. But in between
the flashes of old Hamilton’s short-lived heyday is a city that still lives on,
a city that hasn’t yet succumbed to the intensity of modernity and a place that
is struggling to revive itself….And is.
Believe it or not, change is present, and Hamilton is beginning to put itself
back on the map, but in quite a different
way. Here are a few reasons why:

The
Hamilton ‘Supercrawl’

The topic of Hamilton
as a city in transition would be grossly incomplete without including its
burgeoning arts scene, now immensely present in the downtown core. Enter the ‘Supercrawl’: A weekend of never-ending
parties that celebrate art from all corners of the earth, colliding in the bars
and galleries of James Street and various outdoor stages erected for this very
event. Last year hosted the likes of Great Lake Swimmers
and K’naan.,
while giving over 75,000 visitors a weekend that wouldn’t be easily forgotten.
The best part: it’s totally free and easily accessible.

The rest of year
Hamilton continues to support a diverse range of new ‘up-and-coming’ artists
who have completely reshaped the culture scene in the city (if Hamilton even had a ‘culture scene’ to begin with).
Many attribute the rise in arts and culture to be the reason why Hamilton didn’t become a ghost town in the early 21st
century. Whichever opinion you choose to take, it’s clear that the influx of
hipsters, artists and neo-hippies in Hamilton is creating new space for
identity and economy.

In the centre of the
city rests a permanent space dedicated to the immigrant merchants and fresh-ass
food you won’t find in too many other places. This multi-level market-style
complex houses ethnic goods from around the world and seems to stretch into oblivion;
each corner rounded a new culinary adventure awaiting your senses - a mash of
Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, African and more.

During the industrial
boom of the early 20th century, Hamilton became a main entrepot for
skilled labourers that left Northern Europe in search of prosperity inside mills
and factories. The market is a byproduct of a European-style center of trade
and commerce, gaining its first roots as a Jewish grocer but eventually
expanding into the mega-market it is today. Hamilton’s rich history of
working-class immigrant settlers that formed the original city is alive and
well in the market and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Waterfalls
of Hamilton

Probably the last item
one would imagine on a Tour de Hamilton would be a picturesque waterfall. Well…Think
again, and then think a multitude of
cascading H2O, and you have a city with the ultra-cool title of ‘The Waterfall Capital
of Canada’. Apparently, a shitload of water rockets over a
shitload of high crested rocky cliffs in and around Hamilton.

Albion Falls.

This unexpected treasure
is actually a product of Lake Ontario geography. Hamilton is located at the
very Western tip of this giant blue body, where plenty of rivers and watersheds
flow into the lake. Couple that with the fact that the area is surrounded by a
giant riff in the earth known as the Niagara Escarpment,
and you get waterfalls…Waterfalls everywhere.

Many flock to the
trails and viewpoints of places like Mill Falls,
Albion
Falls and my favourite, the Devils Punch
Bowl to meet these hydrological giants and feel the wrath of thousands of
litres of water flying over a cliff.

The
Bruce Trail

You’re in escarpment
country now, where hiking trails for all age and skill levels creep through the
umpteen conservation areas, highlighting the hidden natural beauty of Hamilton’s
backyard. From Dundas
Valley to the Eramosa
Karst, the options for exploring are endless, but the main artery that runs
through this network is none other than the Bruce
Trail, Canada’s oldest and largest hiking experience.

Running 885km from
Niagara to the Bruce Penensula, the trail has gained notoriety as being the god
of all hiking itineraries in Canada. More hikers seem to be interested in the
trail every year, some undertaking ‘end-to-ends’ that can last up to three
months and traverse every kilometre of its winding route. Hamilton serves as a perfect
mid-point on the ‘Iroquoia’ section, before the trail heads North past
Burlington and Milton.

No matter how you look
at it, Hamilton is changing, and growing, and metamorphisizing…Into what, we’re still not sure yet, but I
think it’s interesting and you should too. So, next time you’re passing that
freaky-ass industrial shoreline along the QEW, consider looking beyond and
stepping into Steel City.

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I am a curious person by nature and have an immense passion for learning and new experiences. Travelling and stepping out of my comfort bubble are huge parts of my life. I try to live creatively with everything I do while supporting the global community as both a leader and a student.